September 16, 2011

Psychedelic Ants — You are what you eat

Scientist, photographer and father of three Mohamed Babu said, "The idea for the photographs came to me after my wife showed me some ants that turned white sipping the spilled milk on our kitchen counter.

Dr. Babu mixed sugar drops with edible red, green, blue and yellow food coloring and placed the drops in his garden to attract the insects and photograph them in natural light.

Their transparent stomachs matched the liquid they drank.

Some of the ants even wandered from color to color, creating new combinations in their bodies.

Placed on a paraffin base, the drops kept their shape when touched by the ants.

Dr. Babu discovered the ants preferred lighter colors such as yellow and green.

He said, "I really toiled to get a photo. The crowd always used to become unmanageable within a few minutes and while I held my camera with my right hand, my left was busy removing the extra ants. Once I lost the chance, I could only repeat it the next day."